In inspection departments, inspection centers, etc. of hospitals, a variety of inspections are conducted using specimens such as blood and urine sampled from patients in order to discover diseases or estimate abnormal sites. Recently, automatic inspection (analysis) apparatuses are used for labor saving and speed-up of inspections.
For example, methods of analyzing concrete components in urine include a method of irradiate a urine specimen by flow cytometry and then classifying concrete components in urine into white blood cells, red blood cells, epithelial cells, cylinder and bacteria, on the basis of the resulting scattered light and fluorescence (see Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. H05-151282).
In such a automatic analysis apparatus, a plurality of specimens pass through a sample preparation section of mixing a specimen with a reagent to prepare a measurement sample and a specimen passage channel including a measurement section of measuring the measurement sample, so the specimen passage channel is washed for every completion of each measurement using a washing solution such as a reagent and a dilution solution in order that remaining of a previously measured specimen in the specimen passage channel (carry-over) is restrained to guarantee measurement precision and reliability. This washing operation is normally for a specified washing time and in a specified amount of a washing solution to restrain carry-over within a predetermined value. However, there is a specimen of being a target for analysis, the concentration of which is as very high as tens of thousands times a normal value (a high value specimen). If such a high value specimen is washed for the same washing time and in the same amount of a washing solution as in a normal specimen, the washing becomes insufficient and carry-over occurs in a next specimen. This poses the problem of not obtaining a precise measurement value.
Thus, proposed is an apparatus of automatically adjusting the washing time and/or the amount of a washing solution of the specimen passage channel in accordance with the number of the particles of the measured specimens (see Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. H10-096688). The apparatus disclosed in this Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. H10-096688 is configured so that washing conditions are set after completion of specimen measurement and then the processing proceeds to a next specimen after carrying out washing operation.
Recently, there is increasing demand for speed-up for a variety of inspections in order to achieve speedy diagnosis and treatment as well as improve management efficiency of medical institutions. However, where the setting of washing conditions and the execution of washing operation are done after completion of specimen measurement and then further the next specimen is processed like the apparatus described in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. H10-096688, speed-up of analysis is limited and the needs of the time cannot be met.